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The Virginia
Beach Master Gardener Association a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
which is composed of Master Gardener volunteers
trained to provide our community with gardening and horticulture information
drawn from their training, personal experiences and research of Virginia Tech
and Virginia State Universities

To become a Master
Gardener, everyone must complete the Master Gardener training. A program has
been established to provide both novice and experienced gardeners a basic
background in horticulture.

The Master Gardener course
is a 50 hour program, and is held once a year (Sept-Nov). Orientation
is held each May through the Extension Office.

After the course, the
Master Gardener Interns have one full year to volunteer 50 hours in order to
complete their training and to be recognized as official Master
Gardeners. To remain a Master Gardener, volunteers must give 40 hours
each year thereafter, 8 hours of which must be in continuing education.

If you would like more information or would like to speak to a
Master Gardener, please call (757) 385-8156 or email vbmghelp@vbgov.com.
Please be sure to include your name, a detailed question, phone number
and email or mailing address.

For more information about the Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Beach
Office at: 757-385-4769

Origins of the program:

The Master Gardener Program
was created to meet an enormous increase in requests

from home gardeners
for horticultural information.

This increase is
primarily derived from the urban and transient nature of modern American
life.

Fifty years ago, an
Extension agent dealt with the questions of a few hundred farm families.
In many regions, however, land that once constituted a single farm now
encompasses several subdivisions, increasing by the hundreds the number of
families an Extension Office must serve.

In addition, many of these
new families are recent arrivals, and are unfamiliar with the grasses,
shrubs, trees and diseases which comprise the micro-environment of their new
urban or suburban home. They often call their local Extension Office for
advice on what to plant and how to care for it.

Consequently, the Master
Gardener Program was created in 1972 in the state of Washington.
Since then it has spread to 48 states.

Master Gardeners have
become a vital part of the Extension's ability to provide consumers with
up-to-date, reliable knowledge so they can enjoy and protect the value of
horticulture around their homes. Master Gardening has also become a fun and
useful volunteer activity.